Some bike lanes are primarily designed for two wheeled bikes, rather than three, said Nathan Clement.
Vancouver has a variety of protected and unprotected bike lanes – bicyclists are often moving in and out of traffic as a result.
(Isabella Calissi/BCIT News)
Nathan Clement is a World Champion and Paralympic medalist in paracycling, so safe to say he bikes around Vancouver a lot. He said, although Vancouver has some of the best bike lanes in the country, there are still some issues in terms of accessibility.
“It’s accessible for two wheels, but it’s not accessible for 3 wheels. There’s a lot of sections of the city, whether it’s bike paths or different bike networks, where it’s safer to take the road as opposed to a bike lane,” he explained.
Clement rides a three wheeled bike, which is much wider than a typical two-wheeler. He said protected bike lanes are “a lot trickier” and “unsafe” for him when there’s debris in the road, due to having no room to manoeuvre around it.
“There’s often a couple [bike lanes] that have a lot of cambers and slants in the road, so you’d be biking along and then all of a sudden the road feels like you’re falling off a cliff and you have to make sure you’re staying upright.” – Nathan Clement, Paralympic Paracyclist
Along with concrete barriers, Clement said, safety cone placement often blocks him from travelling through certain areas. This doesn’t just inconvenience him, but can make it impossible for electric wheelchair users, who are using the bike lanes, to get through.
Cars are also a big issue, for two and three-wheeled bikes alike.
Tyrone Siglos, a volunteer with Vision Zero Vancouver, said he encounters a car in a bike lane at least once his commute.
Often bike lanes are blocked by parked cars, causing people to have to divert into traffic or jump onto the sidewalk. Clement often sees Uber or delivery drivers parked in bike paths or in the middle of bike-only streets – swinging out their doors without checking for cyclists. (Isabella Calissi/BCIT News)
“It’s not necessarily the user’s fault that [cars] are using the space in the way that the space is designed [for] and allows that to happen.” – Tyrone Siglos, Vision Zero Vancouver
Siglos said, the city needs to invest in better maintaining its bike lanes by fixing potholes, plowing snow, and clearing wet leaves.